1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a display device capable of being used with a flexible printed circuit board having a reduced width mounted on a display substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a display device includes a display substrate provided with a plurality of pixels in an area defined by a black matrix or a pixel defining layer. Display devices may be categorized into various types, including a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), an organic light emitting display (OLED), and the like which may depend on the type of the display substrate.
The display substrate generally has a quadrilateral shape and includes an active area configured to display an image and a non-display area at the edge of the active area. The active area includes a plurality of pixels provided in a pixel area defined by a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of data lines, and each pixel is driven by various signals and driving voltages transmitted over various signal lines and power lines provided in the non-display area.
The non-display area may include a plurality of pads for transmitting various signals and driving voltages supplied from the outside to each pixel, the various signal lines and power lines, and an inspection (or test) circuit unit for applying inspection (or test) signals to the pixels.
The plurality of pads may include driving pads and inspection (or test) pads. The driving pads transmit the various signals and driving voltages for driving the pixels to the active area. The inspection pads transmit inspection control signals to the inspection circuit unit in order to inspect (or test) the pixels.
After a pixel inspection is completed by the inspection circuit unit, a flexible printed circuit board such as a flexible print circuit (FPC), a chip on film (COF), a tape carrier package (TCP), and the like is mounted on the plurality of pads including the inspection pads. The various signals and driving voltages for driving each pixel are transmitted across the flexible printed circuit board, and then an off bias voltage for disabling the inspection circuit unit is supplied to the inspection pads.
Thus, the comparative flexible printed circuit board requires a space for a connecting circuit unit in order to apply the off bias voltage to the inspection circuit unit.